1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multi-pole plug-in connector.
2. Background Art
Plug-in connectors of the above-mentioned type--in practice often also called multi-point connectors--serve, inter alia, to electrically and mechanically connect printed circuit boards with cables. The connection is made by contact pins which are fixed in an insulating strip and have their one arms, the printed circuit board arms, which project in a row from one side of the strip, inserted into and possibly soldered to corresponding rows of holes in the printed circuit boards. The other arms, the plug-in arms, also projecting in a row from the other side, can be attached to a female connector which leads to the cable.
Depending on type, the printed circuit board arms either all extend in linear extension of the plug-in arms or they are bent at approximately right angles to the plug-in arms. In the former case, the plug-in arms and thus the direction in which the female connector is attached, is parallel to and, in the latter case, at a right angle to the surface of the printed circuit board.
The embodiment with angled printed circuit board arms and thus an attachment direction parallel to the surface of the printed circuit board is used primarily if several printed circuit boards are to be accommodated in the most space saving manner, for example in a housing. As the prior art plug-in connectors can each be connected with only one circuit board, a number n of printed circuit boards also requires n plug-in connectors to be accommodated in the available space.